Bjcorbin's Blog

As a white, middle aged man it is tempting to say nothing about many of the controversies that have swirled around in recent months. Unfortunately, some of those issues have hit close enough to home that I’ve needed to interpret and explain them to my kids. In the midst of these discussions, there have been aspects of the current culture that I simply couldn’t make sense of, which is what ultimately compelled me to say something here. Let me preface my remarks with the disclaimer that I am not a racist. I realize that is a fairly worthless declaration, as few people would be willing to admit such a thing to themselves or to anyone else. Nonetheless, I am confident that it is true. I believe that every human being was made in the image of God and, therefore, reveals something unique about who He is. I believe that every life is precious and that every person is worthy of dignity and respect. Because my father was in the military, I was blessed to grow up in a more integrated culture than many people of my generation and to travel to other countries at a young age. This fostered a deep appreciation for the diversity of peoples and cultures that exist beyond my own. I have always believed that the “melting pot” aspect of American society has been one of its greatest strengths. But, despite all that, I am still a Caucasian man, of European decent and, as such, it seems pretty easy to lump me in with all the slave traders and plantation owners who have come before. Of course, in so doing, one would really be no different than a neighborhood watchman, who decides to follow a young man simply because he’s black and wearing a hoodie.

I remember watching my young son experience this phenomenon some years ago. He was about nine years old and we were driving in the car with his best friend, who happened to be black. This was in the season before the 2008 election, and his friend asked him who he was going to vote for. I smiled at the idea of nine year olds having a political discussion and thought about how innocent they were. But, my amusement quickly dissolved when his friend angrily accused him of being a racist for saying that he would vote for John McCain. This was especially shocking to me because these boys had been best friends for years; they’d slept over at each other’s houses and gone to same church since birth. But, in an instant, all of that history was erased because of a dissenting opinion on who was the best candidate. Little did I know that this would be a precursor to many adult discussions that would soon follow, and that I, too, would be accused of the very same thing, by people who should have known me better. Never mind that I’d never voted for any white candidate with the ideology or inexperience that candidate Obama brought to the table, the presumption was that my real issue had to be with the color of his skin. Once again, I risk that accusation by calling into question the way some of these issues are being handled today.

It seems to me that we’ve changed our definition of what constitutes racism and that, along the way, it has become essentially unacceptable to insinuate that a person of color could be a racist. A good example of this occurred during the Trayvon Martin case, where it seemed imperative for the media to portray George Zimmerman as a Caucasian man. Of course, when pictures of Mr. Zimmerman were published, journalists had to concede that he was also of Hispanic descent; but they steadfastly maintained that, for all intents and purposes, he should be considered a white man. I could find no good reason for this charade, other than the idea that a person of ethnic descent couldn’t possibly be motivated by issues of race. In truth, George Zimmerman is as much Hispanic as our president is black, but that doesn’t mean that he was somehow incapable of the racial profiling he was accused of. No race of people has ever completely defeated the very human tendency to distrust those who are different than they are, and, in some cases, to hate them for it. The idea that only white-skinned people battle this issue is the very essence of racism.

In the latest national incident regarding race, a white player for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles was caught on tape using the “N” word. To be sure, there is no good justification for what this man did. He has rightfully been shamed and disciplined for his foolish and insensitive behavior. While many of his teammates accepted his apology and seemed ready to move past this unfortunate incident, others have claimed to be so offended that they cannot continue to be in the same organization with him. At this point, it is unclear whether he will remain a part of this team or any other. As I’ve watched these events unfold, I can’t help but wonder at the hypocrisy of it all. Without a doubt this man has heard black players on his team use this term on an almost daily basis in the locker room. Every facet of the Hip Hop culture (e.g. movies, music, comedy…) continues to popularize, promote, and even romanticize this word. Thanks to rappers from Ice-T to Jay-Z, this is how young black kids are taught to refer to themselves and to each other. And after hearing this word all around him for years, this man is now facing the potential loss of his career because it came from his lips. Again, my intent is not to defend Riley Cooper’s actions; he was wrong, and there should be consequences for that. But is it the word that has so offended his teammates or is it the color of the man who said it? Why is that word worth millions when Kanye West shouts it from a stage or raps it on a CD; yet costs millions when we find that it’s passed across Paula Deen’s lips (privately) sometime in the past?

Some might suggest that it isn’t the word itself, but the intent of the person using it, and that would seem to be a valid point. But, if that’s the case, shouldn’t this football player’s three year history with the team outweigh his foolish words in a moment of drunkenness? I’ve heard no one claim that he has any record of behavior that supports the idea that he is a racist. If this were just the latest in a long line of incidents, then, by all means, show him the door. But, if the sole piece of evidence is a twenty-second cell phone video, the (career) death penalty seems a little severe. After all, Dr. King’s dream wasn’t simply equality for people of color; it was that we would reach a point where a man’s skin color wouldn’t matter more than the content of his character. Is Riley Cooper really a racist or is he a foolish man, who in a weak moment used a racist term? I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I would suggest that either one of those is a possibility and that the answer ought to make a difference in how this incident is ultimately resolved.

I personally hate the “N” word and am thankful that most of my black neighbors and friends don’t use it around me. I know the disgusting origins of this term, and it’s mind boggling to me that anyone who knows that history would tolerate its use. I don’t blame anyone for being offended by it, but if we really hate this word why won’t we let it die? There are other racial slurs that I heard as a kid, which have long since disappeared from the vernacular. If you used one of those words around my kids today they’d have no idea what you were talking about. But, even though they’ve never heard me utter the “N” word, they know exactly what it means, and it wasn’t introduced to them by a bunch of rednecks. If we can agree that this word needs to become extinct then there must be an outcry from within the black community against its many prominent and influential members, who continue to champion and profit from the use of this vulgar term. On the other hand, if the problem isn’t so much with the word, but with the race of the person using it, then I would suggest that our problems are much more profound and harder to fix. Either way, I pray that God helps us to find a way to live together in peace.

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As I come dangerously close to reaching the half century mark, it is amazing to ponder the dramatic cultural changes that I have witnessed.  As a child of 1960’s, I was born just as the counter-culture movement was reaching full swing and to be sure, those were tumultuous days.  By the end of that decade it seemed as though the revolution had truly begun; but in just a few short years (i.e. by the mid 1970’s) the movement seemed to fizzle into a haze of disillusionment, cocaine and disco music.  Initially, it didn’t seem as though this war on the “establishment” had been very successful in significantly transforming “mainstream” thinking; but with the benefit of hindsight, it has become clear that the impact was far greater than anyone could have imagined.

Considering the forty years that proceeded that period, it’s easy to see that the stage was set for something dramatic.  The people had grown weary from decades of constant struggle (e.g. World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War…) and they were restless to break out of that cycle.  As the country found itself on the threshold of yet another significant conflict (i.e. the Cold War / the Vietnam War), the collective fortitude began to waiver.  Many weren’t sold on the idea that America needed to engage in this latest battle, as the voices of dissent began to grow louder.  After years of largely standing united against the external forces of adversity, many started to doubt the wisdom of that approach for the future.

In many ways it was a perfect storm and it ushered in a decade of great cultural upheaval.  Most Sociologists would likely characterize this as a time of “enlightenment”, whereby traditional doctrines and values were questioned; and where concerns over the rights of the individual began to gain traction against the concept of what might be needed for the good of the whole nation.  Amongst those cultural elements that were challenged was the largely Judeo-Christian based value system that had been so prevalent during the war years.  From the earliest days of the movement, the seeds of secular humanism began to find fertile ground in the minds of its purveyors.  One aspect of this assault on traditional values was the overt sexuality that would eventually become a hallmark of the movement.  While the general public did not necessarily embrace the hedonism of the counter-culture, there is no doubt that there was a definitive shift in mainstream ideas about what was both normal and acceptable.

Although there is no doubt that the culture was changed by those years, I would submit that the greatest impact was still yet to be seen.  By the late 1970’s America was fully emerged in the Cold War era and seemed to have returned to some new state of normal.  At least on the surface, our national trajectory did not appear to be greatly altered; but within the collective consciousness, the seeds of this revolution continued to germinate.  Culturally, as we opened our minds to “new truths”, our belief in absolutes progressively eroded; and with the explosion of new technologies, our sense of self-reliance continued to grow.  With each successive generation, our thinking moved steadily toward moral relativism and secular humanism.  Truths that were once perceived as etched in stone became like balls of clay, which could be molded and shaped into whatever form might suit us.  Our concept of freedom shifted from maintaining a national landscape of opportunity to establishing an atmosphere of personal autonomy and entitlement.  Little by little, who we are and what we stand for, steadily migrated away from where we’d been as a nation.

Despite this migration, I do not believe that it would be accurate to say that we’ve arrived at a purely secular humanist point of view.  As an inherently religious nation, we’ve retained many of the trappings of our Judeo-Christian past; and instead of becoming a culture of atheists and/or agnostics, we’ve simply revised our brand of religion.  Despite our pension for rationalization, the vast majority of Americans still consider themselves to be “spiritual” and to believe in some form of “higher power”.  In keeping with the theme of moral relativism, we’ve chosen to retain those aspects of God and religion that we feel comfortable with and to disregard the rest.  This has created a strange amalgam of beliefs that are based on wildly diverse concepts, such as the Bible, Hedonism, Capitalism, Marxist Socialism, the “American Dream” and Darwinian Theory.  Despite the confusion caused by attempting to merge these disparate views, our culture seems to pursue this ideology with such fervor that this hybrid of religious-humanism should likely be characterized as a religion unto itself.  Though many still identify themselves as being a part of one of the more established religious traditions, this new paradigm has largely replaced anything that might pass for an orthodox theology.

In this new religion, we still extol the virtues of faith; but now that faith is rooted in the basic goodness of mankind, in the advances in our technology, in the power of our self realization and in the superiority of our ideologies.  It also acknowledges the value of hope; but that hope is based on the idea that every generation should do better than the one that came before it and that America is somehow destined to live at a level that is far beyond what the rest of the world does.  It also believes in the concept of love, but does not bind itself to the constraints of things like loyalty, self sacrifice or turning the other cheek.  Ultimately, this new theology will accept a god who “is love”, but not one who would attempt to hold a man accountable for his deeds.  It will embrace things like angels and prayers and heaven; but it will not accept any orthodox view of sin, hell or judgment to come.

Despite the fact that many of these ideas (e.g. enlightenment, humanism, socialism…) are old and have a track record of utter failure, our new found faith frees us from feeling bound to their history; as we are confident that we have somehow evolved beyond the level of those cultures that came before us.  Because of the numerous contradictions inherent in this patchwork of philosophies, it seems almost immune to rational criticism.  After all, if one can reconcile this belief system, it seems doubtful that facts or logic would hold much sway.  If anything, our culture seems to be aiming for ambiguity, as a means to head off the potential for accountability.  Within our new value system, the only thing that is truly sacred is our right to choose our own way.

Even those who perceive themselves as the guardians of orthodox religion have largely compromised the purity of their message in an attempt to remain “culturally relevant”.  In Christendom, the gospel has been blended with the “American Dream”, to create a message of endless, God ordained, prosperity; or with secular marketing strategies, in the name of evangelism or with futurist doctrines, under the guise of advancing the kingdom of God.  A recipe that’s proven successful at many of the country’s most popular ministries is to mix a little motivational talk, with a pinch of self-help seminar and a cup of musical theater; all served up in the comfort of a posh coffee bar.  It’s all about making the people feel comfortable and to keep them coming back for more; which just happens to play well with the populist view.

For the remnant, who still stubbornly cling to the ancient texts of the Bible, this all should come as no real surprise.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2 Tim 4:3-4).”  In his letter to the Colossians he warned, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col 2:8)”; and in speaking of the end times he said, “There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness, but denying it’s power (2 Tim 3:1-5)”.  As I turn on the television or listen to the radio or look at my computer or even just attend one of my kid’s ballgames, I can’t help but think that this is becoming a pretty fair description of our culture.  Ultimately it is the fruit of our new national religion.

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